I understand that Me llamo is like, I am [name] but so is nombre. So which one would be used and in what scenario? Are they both acceptable? Is one more formal than the other?
asked Jul 2, 2015 at 22:11
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Like everyone else here has said me llamo is i call myself and mi nombre es is my name is. They are both the same exact thing but just different.– kaylaCommented Nov 28, 2017 at 19:25
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Me llamo is: My name is. Not: I am x. That would be: Soy x.– LambieCommented Sep 22, 2021 at 18:55
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1 Answer
Me llamo literally translates to I call myself, whereas Mi nombre es is My name is, but the two mean essentially the same.
Both phrases are acceptable. To some Mi nombre es can sound a bit more formal than me llamo. If you wanted to be more casual, you could simply say Soy ....
If you are having a conversation with someone you would (most likely) use Me llamo. But if you were, say, leaving a voicemail to someone who doesn't know you, you may want to use mi nombre es.
In general, mi nombre es can sound serious and slightly uptight. As someone commented on SpanishDict, if someone were to introduce himself with Mi nombre es in a bar, one might expect him to continue with "Bond, James Bond".
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1I like the way you put that Diego! Thanks so much! +1 Commented Jul 3, 2015 at 3:21
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3Just one thing, although all that is true, I prefer saying that "me llamo" is more like a passive "I'm called". Despite not being a "direct translation", it can sound less forced than "I call myself". At least, it's more accurate for me, since you rarely actually decide your name.– FGSUZCommented Aug 31, 2018 at 20:06
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So when Walter White says "say my name!" That would be "mi nombre"? Because he's explicitly talking about his name?– AnthonyCommented May 8, 2022 at 4:12